Virginia Farmers Market Association

Congratulations to the 2024 Virginia Gold Certified Farmers Markets! 19 farmers markets achieved Gold certification status this year. They include: Blacksburg Farmers Market Charlottesville City Market  Downtown South Boston Farmers Market  Falls Church Farmers Market  Goochland Farmers Market  Historic Manassas Farmers Market   Hopewell Farmers Market  Lynchburg Community Market  Manakin Market  Marion Farmers Market  Powhatan Village Farmers Market  River Street Market  Rocky Mount Farmers Market  RVA BIG Market  Salem Farmers Market  Smithfield Farmers Market  South of the James Market Surry County Farmers Market  Williamsburg Farmers Market As the gold standard for farmers markets in Virginia, certification refers to markets that are managed using best practices in categories such as food safety, food origin, food access, public safety, and consumer education. Learn more about the program on the VAFMA website: https://lnkd.in/e8n6aAiU

The Mid-Atlantic Farmers Market Conference is focused on providing tools and takeaways that can make a meaningful impact on your professional life. Join the "Standard Operating Procedures for Success" session with Sheila Rhodes, Owner of Small Batch Kitchen and PROVISIONal COO (www.provisionalcoo.com) Operations manuals, checklists, and other procedural documents are important for ensuring that your organization runs safely, efficiently, and with room for growth. Whether you are the manager of a non-profit, volunteer-run farmers’ market or a vendor with several employees, these documents are critical. Sheila will showcase how taking the time to document these processes can actually free up time for managers and empower your team to find solutions, even when faced with challenging situations. Check out www.vafma.org for registration, and the full list of conference sessions. Questions? Shoot us a PM! #mafmc2024

Becoming a VA Certified Market is a way for markets to distinguish themselves to consumers, vendors, and their communities. Interested in learning more about the program from folks with first-hand experience? Join us at the Mid-Atlantic Farmers Market Conference at the "Going for the Gold: Market Manager Q and A" session. We will hear from market managers operating Gold certified markets about their experiences becoming certified and how certification has impacted their markets. Bring your questions! Register for the conference here: vafma.org Learn more about getting certified here: https://lnkd.in/eiQNTZut

Check out this great article about our friends at The Farmers Market at IX! https://lnkd.in/ejrZukcf

Improving your small business bookkeeping can be easier than you think, and can help you unlock better cash flow management practices, more accurate budgeting, and can even help you save on your taxes. It's an investment worth making for yourself and your business! Samatha Day of Tatum Accounting will cover essential bookkeeping practices to help you manage your finances effectively, along with some practical Excel tips to simplify your record-keeping and improve your business decision-making. Join her session on November 14th at 10:25am at the Mid-Atlantic Farmers Market Conference! All this and more at the Mid Atlantic Farmers Market Conference, this November 13th-15th, in Richmond, VA. Learn more and register today at: https://lnkd.in/eVPa3G9 Interested in scholarships for free admission? Shoot us a message for details! #mafma2024

“Food Is Medicine” is an exciting new opportunity for funding getting healthy food to those that need it. Because this term is new, it is still being defined and developed. At the Mid-Atlantic Farmers Market Conference, join us to learn how markets in Virginia and Pennsylvania have joined with clinical partners to create a variety of opportunities to improve the health of participants while sustainably funding local food. We're honored to have the following experts share their wisdom with us: Maureen McNamara Best, Local Environmental Agriculture Project - LEAP Meaghan Butler, Federation of Virginia Food Banks Dr. Cliff Morris, @morris_cardio Dr. Meagan Grega, Kellyn Foundation Eric Ruth, Kellyn Foundation Learn more about these speakers here: https://lnkd.in/ei8NeDpz Register here: https://lnkd.in/eVPa3G9 Looking for scholarships, or want to volunteer to get FREE admission? Shoot us a message!

Farmers across southwestern Virginia have been impacted by hurricane Helene, losing crops, infrastructure, and even loved ones. Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by the storm, in VA, NC, TN, and beyond. You are in our thoughts <3 RAFI has compiled an excellent list of resources for farmers, please share this with your network. https://lnkd.in/e_GmXRC7 For those who want to support their local farmers, please contact your local Ag Extension office. FEMA may be able to help with serious needs, displacement, temporary lodging, basic home repair costs, personal property loss or other disaster-caused needs. There are several ways to apply: Go online to DisasterAssistance.gov, use the FEMA App or call 800-621-3362 from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET daily. The telephone line is open every day and help is available in most languages. If you are in need of essential supplies, such as food, water, or ice, please contact the Virginia Department of Social Services by calling 2-1-1, or 1-800-230-6977, or by visiting https://lnkd.in/etgpDpt4. Now is an important time to continue shopping local and supporting small businesses. We're thankful for strong, caring communities coming together during this time to take care of one another.

Join us for the Mid Atlantic Farmers Market Conference in Richmond, VA, November 13-15! https://lnkd.in/eVPa3G9

Interested in presenting at the Mid-Atlantic Farmers Market Conference in Richmond, VA? Share your topic with us: https://lnkd.in/eD__pgkN

Interested in presenting at the Mid-Atlantic Farmers Market Conference? The conference is in Richmond, VA November 13-15, 2024. Share your topic with us using our brief Conference Session Proposal Application: https://lnkd.in/eNKqZMiA